Sunshade



April 12; 1938. w. B. CAST 4 2,113,827

SUNSHADE Filed March 9, 1936 INVENTOR s [0 Wig/0g 5 (05% ATTORNEYPatented Apr. 12, 193s 2,113,827

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v SUNSHADE 7 William B. Cast, Parkville, Mo.Application March 9, 1936, Serial No. 67,902 12 olaimsTwoi 156-17) Thisinvention relates to sunshades, particuportion 1 and forward stile 8 areformed on a larly'to those of the Venetian type adapted forsubstantially continuous curve extending from use in automobile andsimilar windows, and has the upper end of the rear stile to the forwardedge for its principal object to provide a Venetian of the sillconforming to present stream-lining r, shade that can be mounted as aunit within a of motor vehicle bodies. Slidably mounted window openingand which is of light weight, within the vehicle body and having theedges rigid construction to withstand wind velocities, thereof guided ingrooves 9, is a glass panel Ill vibration, and other forcesactingthereagainst, for closing the window opening, as inconvenparticularly when used in vehicle windows. tional automotiveconstruction.

Other important objects of the invention are The Venetian shade l isshaped to fit within 10 to provide a window-shade constructed to extheopening and adapted to be anchored at the elude excessive light raysfrom. entering a motor inner side of the glass panel so that the glassvehicle but which does not interfere with view panel may be raised" andlowered without inter-.- irorn within; to provide a simple adjustableference by the shade. The shade includes spaced rigidly retained in anyadjusted position; to prorectangular bars of slightly shorter lengththan vide a shade construction that is adapted to ir-, the height of thewindow opening at the points in regular shaped window openings; toprovide for which they are installed.

mounting of the shade withinthe glass grooves The upper ends of theposts are notched on 9 of a window in such'a manner that the-shade theirouter faces, as at l3 and Hi, to provide updoes not interfere withraising and lowering of wardly facing shoulders I5 and I 6 on which athe glass; and to provide a shade that is readily connecting plate I1 ismounted to rigidly space assembled for use and disassembled into small,the upper ends of the posts. The notches l3 and compact form for storageor shipping purposes. I4 are of substantially the same depth as the 05In accomplishing these and other objects of thickness of the plate l'lso that the outer face the invention, as hereinafter pointed out, I haveof the plate aligns with the outer faces of the provided improveddetails of structure, the preposts, as shown in Fig.3.

. ferred form of which is illustrated in the accom- The plate. I! has asubstantially straight lowpanying drawing, wherein: er edge l8, but theupper edge It! thereof con- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an interiorof forms to the shape of the upp Portion of the 39 a motor vehicle bodyhaving a window thereof window opening, and the rear end 20 conformsequipped with a Venetian shade embodying the to the rounded juncturebetween the side stile 6 features of the present invention. andheader'portion l of the window, so as to Fig. 2 is a e spective view ofthe shade, the close off that portion of the window opening postconneotlng plate and anchor clips for the and provide a substantiallyrectangular opening upper ends'of' the posts being shown in disasinwhich the louvers are installed, as later sembled, spaced relation tobetter illustrate their described. To enhance the rigidity of theconconstruction, I nection between the posts and the plate, the Fig. 3is a vertical section through the window lower edge of the Plate isPreferably provided 40 on the line 33 of Fig.1. with notches 2i and 22,adapted to engage over 0 Fig, 4 is a detail horizontal section on thethe shoulder portions l5 and I6 of the posts and line 4-4 of Fig. 2.thereby prevent any rocking movement of the Fig. 5 is a similar sectionon the line 55 of posts relatively to the plate. Fig, 3. a I u The plateH is retained in seated relation in Referring more in detail to thedrawing: the notches i3 and I 4 by clips 23 and 24, pref- 45 ldesignates a Venetian type window-shade erably formed of metal andhaving strap portions embodying the features of the present invention,25 overlying the outer faces of the plate ll. The and which is shown asinstalled in a window strap portions are preferably of sufficient lengthopening 2 of an automobile 3. The window opento extend below theshoulders l5 and Hi to ooing shown is that formed in the door 4 adjacentoperate with the posts in clamping the plate 5 the drivers position,however the shade may be therebetween. shaped to fit within any one ofthe other windows The upper ends of the clips are bent laterally, of thevehicle. In the window illustrated, the as at 26, in the directionof theglass groove and sill 5 and rear stile '6 are positioned atsubstanterminate in upwardly inclined tongues 21 to tially right anglesto each other but the header engage inthe angle formed by the bottom and55 mounting of the louvers so that they will be posts H and i2 that arepreferably formed of 15' outer side wall of the groove, as shown in Fig.3. The clips are retained by fastening devices, such as bolts 25, havingshanks extending through openings in the clips and through aligningopenings 3| and 32 in the plateand post respectively, the heads of thebolts engaging against the strap portion of the clips and the threadedshanks projecting through the posts to accommodate wing nuts that clampthe parts rigidly together. In order to prevent lateral movement of theclips and enhance rigidity of the construction, the strap portions ofthe clips that extend below the shoulders l5 and ii are provided withapertures 34 through which screws 55 are extended into the posts, asshown in Fig. 3.

The lower ends of the posts are provided with adjustable foot members 35and 51 preferably formed of strap metal of substantially the same widthas the posts and shaped to provide strap portions 35 and 35 to engagethe respective sides of the post, as shown in Fig. 3. The strap portions55 and 35 are provided with longitudinal slots and 4i through whichfastening devices, such as bolts 42 are extended and through aligningopenings 43 in the lower ends of the posts, the heads 44 of the boltsengaging against the outer faces of the outer strap portions 55 and thethreaded ends of the bolts projecting from the inner strap portions tomount wing nuts 45 to adjustably clamp the strap portions of thefootmembers to the post. The outer strap portions are preferably of longerlength than theinner ones to accommodate a screw 45 that preventslateral movement of the foot members on the bolts 42.

The foot members also have portions 41 connecting the strap portions andare shaped to provide depending flanges 45 in plane of the outer strapportions, as shown in Fig. 3, and which are adapted to engage within theglass groove or pocket at the edge of the window sill. To preventmarring of the window sill by the foot members, the connecting portions41 thereof are provided with pads 49 that seat upon the window sill.

Formed in the inner faces of the posts are a plurality of notches 55 and5| shaped to provide horizontal stop shoulders 52 and upwardly .inciinedfaces 53 to support the louvers in horizontal position and allow pivotalmovement of the louvers in an upward direction, as later described. Thenotches 55 and 5i extend substantially half way through the thickness ofthe posts, and the juncture of theinclined portions 53 with thehorizontal portions 52 form fulcrums for mounting the edges of thelouvers 54.

Cooperating with the posts in supportingthe louvers are bars 55 ,and 55having V-shaped notches 51 and 55 arranged reversely to the notches and5| as the stop shoulder portions thereof are uppermost, the bases of thenotches forming fulcrums for engaging the opposite edges of the louvers,as later described. v 1

The bars arepivotally connected with the posts by links Si, 52, 53 and54, having one of their ends pivotally mounted on pins 55, 55, 61 andextending through the posts, and their opposite ends pivotally mountedon similar pins extending through the bars, the spacing between thepivotal connections of the links being substantially equal and ofsuitable length so that the bar is adapted to be'swung in parallelrelation with the inner faces of the posts.

The link 53 is preferably of longer length than the other links so as toproject beyond the inner face of the bar 55 and cooperates with aclamping link 55 that is pivotally mounted on the opposite ends of thepivots for the link 53. The ends of the clamping link 55 and the link 55project a sufficient distance to pass a bolt ll having a head H forengaging the outer face of the clamping link 55 and a threaded shank formounting a wing nut I2 to clampingly engage the outer face of the link53. Thus by tightening the wing nut; the link 55 and clamping link 55are caused to i'rictionally engage the sides of the bar 55 to supportthe bar in adjusted vertical' positions relatively to the post l2. I Thelouvers 54 comprise relatively thin slats of sufllcient length to extendacross the width of the window opening and are provided with aligningnotches 15-14 and 15-15 having suitable width to seat over the posts andprevent lateral movement of the slats relatively thereto. The bottoms ofthe notches cooperate with the fulcrum points of the posts and bars sothat they or the louvers are pivotally retainedtherebetween for tiltingmovement upon shifting of the bars 55 and 55. i

In mounting a Venetian shade constructed and assembled as described, thewing nuts 45 for the bolts 42 are loosened and the footing members areshifted on the posts, so that when the tongues 2'! are moved into theupper portion of the glass groove, as shown in Fig. 3, the flanges willpass over-the window sill. The footing members are then slid downwardlyuntil the padded portions thereof are firmly seated upon the sill andthe f flange portions 45 are in contact with the inner edge of the sill.The wing nuts 45 are then tightened to retain the posts in position.

The slats are then adjusted to the desired angle for excluding sun-raysby shifting one of the bars upwardly, orth'e rays may be admitted byshifting the bar downwardly. The notches in the respective posts or barsareso related and shaped that the limit of movements of the slats isfrom a horizontal position to a maximum angular position, as limited bythe inclined faces of the notches. It is thus obvious that it isimpossible to completely shut off the slats so as to interfere with viewfrom the interior of the vehicle, but the inclination of the slats issumcient to cut off any glaring rays of sunlight.

The shade may be readily removed by loosening the wing nuts 45 andsliding the foot portions upwardly so that the flanges 45 thereof willclear the window sills, after which the shade may be withdrawn from thewindow.

The window-shade may be readily disassembled by removing the respectivefastening devices securing the plate l1 and the pins which connect an.end of the links to the posts. The bars are then free to be removed sothat the slats may be removed from the notches. The parts may then begathered in juxtaposed, parallel relation for packing or storagepurposes.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a window-shadefor automotive use louvers provides a very rigid and light weight'construction which is not subject to rattling or destruction by windvelocities incidental to oper-, ation of the vehicle.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. -A shade of the character'described in combination with a windowhaving glass grooves in facing sides thereof, spaced posts, clips at theupper ends of the posts having tongue portions engaging in one of theglass grooves of the window, adjustable foot members on the ends of theposts and having flange portions engaging the other glass groove, aplate connecting the upper ends of the posts and conforming in shape tothe upper portion of the window, louver slats carried by the posts inparallel relation with the plate,

and means for adjustably supporting the louver slats on the posts.

2. In a shade of the character described, spaced posts having notchesformed in one of their edges, louver slats having edges engaging in saidnotches of the posts, adjusting bars having notches for engagingopposite edges of the louver slats, and links pivotally connecting theadjusting bars to the posts for retaining the louver slats. I

3. A shade of the character described in combination with a windowhaving glass grooves in the facing sides thereof, spaced posts, clips atthe upper ends of the posts having tongue portions engaging in one ofthe glass grooves of the window, foot members slidably mounted on thelower ends of the posts and having portions engaging the other glassgroove, and louver slats carried by the posts.

4. In a shade of the character described, spaced posts having verticalspaced notches, louver adjusting bars having spaced notches conformingto the notches in the posts, louver slats having notches in oppositeside edges thereof for ful-. cruming engagement with the notches of theposts and adjusting bars respectively, and links for pivotallyconnecting the adjusting bars with the posts to retain the louver slats.

5. In a shade of the character described, spaced posts having verticalspaced notches, louver adjusting bars having spaced notches conformingto the notches in the posts, louver slats having notches in oppositeside edges thereof for fulcruming engagement with the notches of theposts and adjusting bars respectively, links for pivotally connectingthe adjusting bars with the posts to retain the louver slats, andfriction means engaging one of the louver adjusting bars to retain thelouver slats in adjusted position.

6. In a shade of the character described, spaced posts having verticalspaced notches, louver adjusting bars having spaced notches conformingto the notches in the posts, louver slats having notches in the sideedges thereof for fulcruming engagemenhwitlr the notches of the postsand adjusting bars respectively, links for pivotaliy connecting theadjusting bars with the posts to retain the louver slats, and meanscooperating with one of thelinks for retaining the louver slats inadjusted position. I

7. A shade of the character described including spaced posts havingshouldered upper ends, a plate connecting the upper ends of the postsand having notched portions engaging said shouldered ends of the posts,clips having strap portions overlying the plate and shouldered ends ofthe posts, fastening devices for securing said strap portions of theclips including the connecting plate to the posts, and louver slatscarried by the P sts.

8. A shade of the character described including spaced posts havingshouldered upper ends, a plate connecting the upper ends of the postsand having notched portions engaging said shouldered ends of the posts,clips having strap portions overlying the plate and shouldered ends ofthe posts; fastening devices for; securing said strap portions of theclips including the connecting plate to the posts, louver slats carriedby the posts, and adjustable foot members on the lower ends of the postsfor cooperating with the clips to retain the posts in a window opening.

9. In a device of the character described spaced pairs-of rigidsupporting members having a series of louver engaging seats on thefacing portions of .the supporting members in each pair, louver slatsinterposed between the supporting members and having edges thereofengaged in said seats,'and means connecting the supporting members ineach pair to retain the louver slats in said seats and for movement ofone member in each 'pair'relatively to the other to adjust the angle ofsaid louver slats.

10. In a device of the character described, spaced pairs of rigidsupporting members hav-'- ing a series of louver engaging seats on thefacing portions of the supporting members in each pair, louver slatsinterposed between the supporting members and having notches in theedges thereof to engage in the seats of said supporting members, andmeans connecting the supporting members in eachpair to retain thenotches of the louver slats in said seats and for movement of one memberin each pair relatively to. the other to adjust the angle of said louverslats.

11. In a device of the character described, spaced pairs of rigidsupporting members having a series of louver engaging seats on thefacing portions of the supporting members in each pair, louver slatsinterposed between the supporting members and having edges thereofengaged in said seats, means connecting the supporting members in eachpair to retain the louver slats in said seats and for movement of onemember in each pair relatively to the other to adjust the angle of saidlouver slats, and clamping means on one of the supporting members andengageable with the complementary movable member for sustaining thelouver slats in adjusted angular position.

12. In a device of the character described, spaced pairs of rigidsupporting members having a series of louver engaging seats on thefacing portions of the supporting members in each pair, louver slatsinterposed between the supporting members and having notches in theedges thereof to engage in the seats of said supporting members, meansconnecting the supporting members in each pair to retain the notches ofthe louver slats in said seats and for movement of one member in eachpair relatively. to the other to adjust the angle of said louver slats,and clamping means on one of the supporting members and engageable withthe complementary movable member for sustaining the louver slats inadjusted angular position.

WILLIAM B. CAST.

